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The  Function 

AND  Organization  of 

University  Presses 

An  address  by 
George  Parmly  Day 

November  6,  191Jf 


OF    TMF 

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The  Function  and  Organization 
OF  University  Presses 

By 
George  Parmly  Day 

President  of  the  Yale  University  Press 

Years  ago  when  there  was  ad- 
mittedly much  force  in  the  jibe 
that  "a  university  press  was  an 
organization  whose  function  was 
to  publish  works  which  no  one 
would  read/'  there  was,  quite 
naturally,  as  little  general  interest 
in  its  organization  as  there  was  in 
its  function.  Today,  when  the 
various  associations  affiliated  with 
many  of  our  American  universi- 
ties under  the  general  title  of  uni- 
versity presses  have  fairly  chal- 
lenged attention  everywhere  by 
the  results  of  their  activities,  there 
is  very  general  interest  not  only 
in  their  purpose  but  also  in  the 
efficiency  of  the  methods  by  which 
they  seek  to  achieve  this  purpose. 
The  question  of  their  organization 
may  have  been,  and  frequently 
was,  at  their  inception  merely  an 


31 


OQOO 

,<«'  *.j  ftj  %^ 


If.  University  Presses 

academic  question  in  more  than 
one  sense:  and  was  solved  by  each 
university  as  the  occasion  arose 
without  much  reference  as  to  what 
other  institutions  had  done.  As 
a  result  of  this  we  naturally  find 
that  the  form  of  organization  was 
determined  in  each  case  by  local 
conditions — such  as  the  traditions, 
needs,  opportunities  and  even  the 
location  of  each  university.  The 
conditions  making  for  the  estab- 
lishment of  a  press  at  one  of  our 
universities  were  almost  certain  to 
be  entirely  different  from  those 
prevailing  at  another  institution, 
which,  nevertheless,  felt  the  need 
of  an  organization  of  somewhat 
similar  character.  At  some  of  our 
universities,  for  example,  the  first 
development  was  a  printing  plant 
for  the  manufacture  of  catalogues, 
reports  and  other  documents.  At 
others  the  university  press  came 
into  being  in  reponse  to  a  demand 
for  a  publishing  house  closely 
affiliated  with  the  university,  and 
concerned,   at   the   start   at   least. 


University  Presses 


with  the  work  of  publication  f 
almost  to  the  exclusion  of  manu- 
facturing. It  is  rather  fortunate 
both  for  those  interested  in  our 
existing  university  presses  and  for 
those  who  may  be  planning  for 
others  yet  to  be  established  that 
the  development  has  been  along 
these  different  lines,  since  much 
of  value  can  be  learned  from  even 
a  brief  survey  of  the  methods  fol- 
lowed by  each  press  and  of  the 
conditions  which  made  these  most 
desirable.  ^ 

-'  Perhaps  the  best  example  of 
how  a  single  factor  may  determine 
the  character  of  the  activities  of 
a  university  press  is  the  monopoly 
enjoyed  by  Oxford  and  Cam- 
bridge of  printing  in  England  the 
revised  version  of  the  Bible  and 
the  Church  of  England  prayer- 
book.  This  monopoly  necessitates 
at  each  institution  a  thoroughly 
equipped  printing  plant:  the 
profit  from  it  permits  each  institu- 
tion to  publish  generously  works 
of   scholarship    almost   regardless 


6  University   Presses 

of  financial  loss.  In  America 
some  of  our  university  presses, 
while  formed  as  printing  plants, 
were  enabled  to  proceed  almost 
at  once  with  the  work  of  publica- 
tion, because  of  the  far-sighted 
generosity  of  friends  in  provid- 
ing them  with  endowment  funds. 
This  represents  perhaps  the  ideal 
organization  for  an  American  uni- 
versity press,  since,  while  its 
printing  plant  may  return  a  profit, 
its  publishing  business  should  not 
and  cannot  fairly  be  expected  to 
do  so.  The  arrangement  seems 
still  more  ideal  when  it  is  con- 
sidered that  such  a  press  with  a 
printing  plant  of  its  own  not  bur- 
dened with  large  fixed  charges 
•  can,  and  ought  to,  manufacture 
'  books  of  the  most  distinguished^ 
format./  But  although  this  com- 
ination  leaves  little  to  be  desired 
from  either  the  aesthetic  or  finan- 
cial point  of  view,  it  is  not  neces- 
sary for  every  university  to  wait 
for  such  a  winning  combination 
before  establishing  its  press. 


University  Presses 


As  a  rule  the  choice  must  be 
made  at  the  start  whether  a  par- 
ticular press  is  to  be  a  printing  es- 
tablishment or  a  publishing  house. 
If  the  choice  has  to  be  made  by  a 
university  more  or  less  remote 
from  a  city  and  the  typographical 
facilities  offered  there,  and  unable 
for  this  reason  to  secure  satisfac- 
tory printing  of  its  documents 
except  at  great  inconvenience  and 
at  large  cost_,  then  the  need  is 
obviously  for  a  printing  plant. 
This  plant,  however,  if  it  is  to 
deserve  the  title  of  university 
press,  must  be  scrupulously  care- 
ful to  follow  the  very  best  tradi- 
tions of  printing  and  of  book- 
binding: to  set  a  standard,  or,  in 
other  words,  to  be  educational  in 
its  work.  It  is  not  enough  that 
it  should  save  the  university 
money  or  that  it  should  prove 
itself  a  financial  success.  For  it 
is  really  capable  of  greater  serv- 
ice than  this,  and  should  be  seek- 
ing constantly  how  to  broaden  its 
field  of  service.     As   an  example 


8  University  Presses 

of  what  can  be  done  in  this  direc- 
tion may  be  mentioned  the  course 
followed  by  a  printing  plant  at 
one  of  the  western  state  universi- 
ties. There  to  the  work  of  routine 
printing  for  the  institution  has 
been  added  the  prompt  prepara- 
tion and  issue  of  monographs  em- 
bodying the  results  of  research  by 
members  of  the  faculty.  These 
pamphlets — for  they  are  often 
little  more  than  that  in  form — 
may  or  may  not  presage  the  en- 
trance of  that  university  into  the 
field  of  general  publication,  but 
they  are  immensely  valuable  to 
workers  in  other  institutions  and 
therefore  make  of  a  local  printing 
plant  an  establishment  whose  ac- 
tivities are  of  such  widespread 
interest  as  to  warrant  it  in  using 
the  title  of  university  press. 

Where  the  initial  choice  between 
printing  and  publishing  has  to  be 
made  by  a  university  situated  in 
or  near  a  city,  different  consid- 
erations almost  necessarily  lead 
to  the  founding  of  its  university 


University  Presses  9 

press  as  a  publishing  house.  In 
the  case  of  an  institution  thus 
located  it  is  probable  that  the  rou- 
tine printing  of  catalogues  and 
other  pamphlets  has  been  satis- 
factorily attended  to  for  many 
years  by  local  concerns ;  that  be- 
cause of  the  amount  of  such  work 
which  a  large  university  can  place 
each  year  the  charges  have  been 
kept  low  through  competitive  bid- 
ding; and  that  the  standard  of 
printing  has  remained  high  if  the 
university  has  recognized  the  in- 
fluence it  can  properly  exert  to 
this  end.  Under  such  conditions 
it  may  quite  fairly  be  urged  that 
the  establishment  of  a  university 
printing  plant  is  perhaps  in  large 
part  a  needless  duplication  of 
existing  facilities,  and  that  the 
real  need  of  the  institution  is  for 
a  publishing  house.  It  may  be 
argued  also  that  in  such  a  com- 
munity the  establishment  of  a 
printing  plant  by  a  tax-exempt 
university  to  compete  with  tax- 
paying  printers  of  the  town  is  not 


10  University  Presses 

only  unnecessary^  but  unwise, 
since  it  would  seem  to  indicate 
that  the  university  is  intent  on 
seeking  its  own  advantage  rather 
than  the  good  of  the  community. 
As  a  result  it  will  probably  be 
found  best  to  respond  to  the  imme- 
diate and  greater  need  for  a  pub- 
lishing house,  and  to  allow  the 
possibility  of  a  printing  plant  to 
remain  merely  an  attractive  pos- 
sibility until  it  becomes  a  neces- 
sity. There  will  be  influences 
gradually  working  toward  this, 
such  as  the  inability  of  commer- 
cial printers  to  provide  rare  types 
for  very  occasional  use.  Whether 
or  not  such  influences  will  ulti- 
mately force  a  university  press, 
established  in  a  community  of  the 
kind  just  described,  to  add  the 
work  of  printing  to  its  business 
of  publishing  will  depend  upon 
its  willingness  and  ability  to  co- 
operate with  printing  concerns 
already  existing.  If  it  recognizes 
that  it  can  broaden  its  field  of 
service  by  setting  and  maintaining 


University  Presses  11 

a  high  standard  of  manufacture  in 
its  publications ;  if  it  seeks  to  have 
these  equal  in  excellence  of  ty- 
pography and  general  appearance 
the  best  volumes  issued  by  com- 
mercial publishing  houses,  or  even 
by  universities  which  have  their 
own  printing  plants;  if  it  endeav- 
ors, as  it  should,  to  develop  in 
the  university  where  it  is  located 
a  love  for  fine  printing  as  well 
as  a  desire  for  the  best  in  books, 
close  co-operation  with  one  or 
more  printing  concerns  is  essen- 
tial. From  association  it  is  not  at 
all  impossible  that  the  university 
may  eventually  find  itself  with  its 
own  printing  plant,  the  early  co- 
operation tending  towards  a  defi- 
nite closer  alliance  between  the 
university  press  and  the  printer, 
and  the  alliance  later  developing 
into  a  merging  of  the  printing 
plant  with  the  publishing  house 
without  surprise  or  objection  on 
the  part  of  the  community.  Mean- 
while if  its  work  of  publishing 
shall  have  been  well  done  the  uni- 


12  University  Presses 

versity  press  of  this  type  will  have 
used  its  opportunities  and  re- 
sources to  much  greater  advantage 
than  if  it  had  begun  its  career  as 
a  printing  plant. 

The  influence  that  questions 
connected  vrith  taxation  may  exert 
in  determining  whether  or  not  a 
university  shall  operate  a  print- 
ing plant  will  play  a  part  also  in 
determining  whether  a  given  uni- 
versity shall  constitute  its  press 
as  a  department  of  the  institution 
or  prefer  that  it  shall  be  a  sepa- 
rate organization^  affiliated  with 
the  university  but  not  owned  by 
it.  In  so  far  as  the  average  man 
within  or  without  the  university 
community  is  concerned  the  result 
is  the  same  in  either  event — for  the 
title,  university  press,  identifies 
the  organization  absolutely  with 
the  seat  of  learning  whose  name  it 
bears.  There  is,  however,  in 
many  localities  at  least,  an  advan- 
tage to  the  university  in  making 
it  plain  to  the  city  authorities 
that   the    institution   itself   is    not 


University  Presses  13 

seeking  either  to  engage  in  the 
supposedly  profitable  work  of 
printing  or  to  enter  the  admittedly 
unreraunerative  field  of  publishing 
properly  open  to  it:  since  there 
is  a  dislike  on  the  part  of  many 
to  have  universities  embarking 
in  so-called  business  enterprises. 
Where  no  such  feeling  exists,  it 
would  perhaps  be  natural  for  a 
university  to  organize  its  press  as 
an  integral  department  of  the  in- 
stitution. Where  there  is,  or  may 
be,  feeling  of  the  kind  indicated, 
it  is  the  part  of  wisdom  for  the 
university  to  favor  or  consent  to 
the  formation  of  its  press,  under 
an  agreement  with  the  university, 
as  a  separate  organization,  which 
shall  make  annual  reports  as  to 
its  business,  etc.,  to  the  city, 
state  and  federal  authorities  ex- 
actly as  other  corporations  are 
required  to  do  by  law,  and  pay 
such  taxes  as  may  be  assessed 
against  it.  In  this  case  the  agree- 
ment suggested  should  be  such  as 
will  absolutely  safeguard  the  in- 


IJf  University  Presses 

terests  of  the  university,  in  view 
of  the  fact  that  it  is  lending  both 
its  name  and  prestige  to  an  enter- 
prise which  has  it  in  its  power 
to  misrepresent  the  institution  as 
well  as  to  represent  it.  Care 
should  be  taken,  for  example,  to 
provide  that  the  officers  of  the 
press  and  the  general  conduct  of 
its  business  shall  always  be  ac- 
ceptable to  the  university.  Pro- 
vision should  be  made  for  the  uni- 
versity to  take  over  the  business, 
if  later  this  course  appeals  to  it, 
without  payment  for  good  will. 
Meanwhile  the  university  must  be 
free  to  withdraw  the  permission 
granted  for  the  use  of  its  name  in 
the  title  of  the  press.  Above  all, 
it  should  be  understood  that  no 
works  are  to  be  published  by  the 
press  without  the  consent  of  the 
university  authorities.  The  im- 
portance of  this  particular  provi- 
sion is  emphasized  because  there  is 
the  greatest  opportunity  for  mis- 
understanding here  unless  some 
definite     form    of    procedure     be 


University  Presses  15 

agreed  upon  in  advance.  The 
organizers  of  such  a  press  would 
not  wish  to  bring  discredit  upon 
their  university,  but  through  mis- 
taken enthusiasm  might  easily 
place  it  in  an  unfortunate  position 
by  the  publication  of  a  single  ill- 
chosen  work.  If,  however,  all 
manuscripts  must  be  approved  by 
a  faculty  committee  appointed  by 
the  university  this  possibility  of 
friction  is  eliminated.  The  found- 
ers of  such  a  press  would  natu- 
rally consent  freely  to  such  a 
proviso  because  of  their  recogni- 
tion of  their  responsibility  to  the 
university.  In  return  they  have  a 
right  to  expect  a  proper  recog- 
nition by  the  university  of  its 
responsibility  to  the  press,  which 
should  be  free  to  cover  a  w4de 
field,  and  to  publish  any  scholarly, 
well-written  work  however  greatly 
its  conclusions  may  differ  from 
those  of  the  faculty  committee. 

In  some  of  our  American  uni- 
versities we  have  then  direct 
operation  of  the  press  by  the  uni- 


16  University  Presses 

versity  as  one  of  its  own  depart- 
ments. In  others  we  find  the 
press  a  separate  organization  con- 
trolled;  but  not  managed,  by  the 
institution.  In  one  of  our  uni- 
versities where  the  press  has  taken 
the  form  of  a  publishing  house 
the  organization  is  described  as  a 
private  corporation  related  di- 
rectly to  the  university  by  the 
provision  that  its  trustees  must 
always  be  officers  of  the  univer- 
sity, and  that  the  president  of  the 
university  shall  be  the  president 
of  the  press.  Here  we  have  ap- 
parently as  great  a  degree  of 
control  as  if  the  press  were  a 
department  of  the  university.  At 
other  universities  the  officers  and 
trustees  of  the  presses  are  alumni, 
perhaps  not  otherwise  identified 
with  the  institutions  concerned. 
Presumably  each  university  is  sat- 
isfied with  its  own  arrangements, 
but  because  of  the  fact  that  out- 
siders may  regard  as  curious  the 
idea  of  a  university  press  organ- 
ized and  conducted  by  those  who 


University  Presses  17 

are  not  necessarily  either  officers 
or  teachers  in  the  institution^  it 
may  be  worth  while  to  consider 
what  advantages  such  a  plan  pre- 
sents. That  there  are  possible 
disadvantages  may  be  admitted: 
although  none  which  by  the  exer- 
cise of  due  care  on  the  part  of 
the  university  may  not  be  over- 
come. 

It  is,  however_,  necessary  for 
the  latter  to  do  more  than  merely 
seek  to  safeguard  its  name  and 
reputation  by  means  of  an  agree- 
ment, such  as  has  been  suggested, 
which  shall  make  clear  for  all 
time  the  duty  of  the  press  to 
place  the  interests  of  the  univer- 
sity above  its  own.  The  univer- 
sity must  also  make  certain  in 
advance  that  the  would-be  found- 
ers of  the  press  are  men  who  will 
regard  that  duty  as  their  pleasure : 
who  will,  because  of  this  rather 
than  because  of  formal  agree- 
ments, respond  to  every  matured 
suggestion  made  by  the  university 
authorities  for  the  development  of 


18  University  Presses 


the  enterprise:  and  whO;,  in  estab- 
lishing their  organization^  have  no 
thought  of  financial  rewards  to 
come  from  it  to  themselves  per- 
sonally or  to  their  successors.  In 
so  far  as  these  men^  or  any  of 
them,  devote  their  entire  time  and 
thought  to  the  work  of  the  press, 
it  is  but  right  that  reasonable 
compensation  for  services  ren- 
dered should  be  included  in  the 
operating  charges  of  the  enter- 
prise: although  it  is  improbable 
that  such  salaries  will  bear  com- 
parison with  the  larger  sums  to  be 
earned  b}^  those  who  interest  them- 
selves in  the  field  of  commercial 
publishing.  But  the  men  who 
contribute  money  for  the  founda- 
tion and  maintenance  of  the  press 
must  literally  contribute  this,  with 
no  expectation  of  dividends  to  be 
returned  to  them.  For  if  the 
organization  is  to  be  successful 
its  purpose  must  be  as  unselfish 
as  that  of  the  university  itself. 
It  should  not  seek  to  make  pecun- 
iary   profits    for    any    individual, 


University  Presses  19 


or  group,  or  even  for  the  univer- 
sity whose  name  it  bears.  Any 
gains  that  it  may  derive  from 
manufacturing,  or  from  the  pub- 
lication of  any  given  work,  should 
be  devoted  to  broadening  its  field 
of  service  in  the  interest  of  educa- 
tion. 

Thus  shorn  of  the  possibility  of 
financially  benefiting  its  found- 
ers-  it  would  seem  at  first  sight 
as  if  the  work  of  each  university 
press  and  its  development  must 
be  left  to  the  administrative  offi- 
cers or  to  the  faculty  of  the  insti- 
tution in  which  it  operates.  That 
this  has  not  proved  to  be  the  case 
everywhere  and  that  the  reverse 
is  proving  increasingly  true  are 
doubtless  due  both  to  the  fact  that 
the  business  of  printing  and  pub- 
lishing is  so  fascinating,  and  to 
the  further  fact  that  more  and 
more  alumni  delight  to  add  to 
their  own  personal  business  inter- 
ests some  form  of  work  for  their 
university.  In  the  management 
of   a   press   there   is   presented   a 


£0  University  Presses 

most  attractive  field  for  the  exer- 
cise of  any  talents  which  they  may 
possess.  If  they  be  endowed  with 
a  fair  amount  of  business  ability, 
it  will  do  much  to  offset  inade- 
quate capital  endowment  avail- 
able for  the  press  at  the  outset  of 
its  career.  Their  enthusiasm  may 
be  no  greater  than  that  which 
members  of  the  faculty  would 
bring  to  the  task:  but  it  is  quite 
conceivable  that  the  association  of 
some  members  of  the  general  body 
of  the  alumni  of  any  university 
with  its  press  may  cause  the  enter- 
prise to  seem  less  academic  to  the 
remainder  of  the  graduates  than  if 
it  were  managed  and  directed 
solely  by  professors  of  the  insti- 
tution. The  choice  of  works  for 
publication  made  by  such  gradu- 
ate managers  may  possibly  not  al- 
ways be  as  conservative  as  the 
selections  of  a  faculty  committee, 
but  if  faculty  representatives  have 
the  power  to  veto  the  decision  of 
the  graduate  managers  the  latter 
can  do  the  university  no  harm  by 


University  Presses  21 

their  suggestions.  They  are  fur- 
thermore likely  to  do  its  press 
much  good  through  constantly 
seeking  to  prevent  the  organiza- 
tion's falling  into  the  rut  of  issu- 
ing chiefly  theses,  lectures  and 
similar  local  material — if  it  may 
be  so  described.  In  such  works  the 
press  must  naturally  be  interested 
because  of  its  relation  to  the  uni- 
versity :  but  because  of  its  relation 
to  the  general  public  the  press 
must  be  alert  to  the  opportunity 
and  the  duty  of  publishing  vol- 
umes by  writers  in  other  institu- 
tions and  in  other  countries.  A 
faculty  management  may  recog- 
nize this  as  well  as  a  graduate 
management.  A  proper  combina- 
tion' of  the  two  is  perhaps  more 
certain  to  recognize  it  than  either 
one  alone. 

Graduate  management  with  fac- 
ulty supervision  is  apt  to  be  of 
advantage  to  the  university  and 
its  press  in  other  ways.  For  one 
thing,  it  is  far  from  undesirable 
in   university   publishing   to   have 


University  Presses 


the  decision  as  to  what  works  shall 
be  published  made  by  university 
representatives  who  are  in  no  way 
concerned  with  the  question  as  to 
how  such  publications  are  to  be 
financed^  or  how  profitable  or 
unprofitable  they  may  be.  These 
problems  are  left  to  the  graduates 
conducting  the  press  and  constitute 
the  strongest  reason  for  having  as- 
sociated with  the  enterprise  men 
trained  for  business  rather  than 
for  teaching  or  research.  Such 
men^  once  enlisted  in  the  service 
of  the  press^  will  bring  to  the 
work  not  only  commercial  experi- 
ence, but  also  a  certain  business 
enthusiasm  of  equal  value — since 
it  will  lead  them  to  devote  all  their 
time  and  energy  to  the  task  of 
rendering  an  enterprise,  probably 
doomed  in  advance  to  financial 
loss,  as  nearly  self-supporting  as 
it  can  be  made.  Once,  therefore, 
a  work  has  been  approved  for 
publication  by  the  university  au- 
thorities, it  is  almost  certain  that 
graduate  managers  of  the  business 


University  Presses  23 


type  will  secure  for  it  wider  dis- 
tribution than  would  be  possible 
under  faculty  directors  or  trus- 
tees. For  the  chief  interest  of  the 
latter  must  be  in  their  own  field 
of  study,  rather  than  in  the  busi- 
ness side  of  the  press,  and  they 
are  more  than  likely,  from  the 
very  nature  of  their  profession,  to 
be  unaccustomed  to  dealing  with 
the  details  of  advertising,  etc., 
necessary  in  any  campaign  of  dis- 
tribution. It  is  probable  also  that 
graduate  managers  will  be  pre- 
pared to  spend  more  money,  as 
well  as  more  time,  in  perfecting 
the  appearance  of  a  given  volume 
than  would  faculty  trustees,  who 
will  almost  inevitably  be  influ- 
enced in  their  feeling  as  to  the 
initial  cost  of  manufacturing  any 
book  by  their  knowledge  that  they 
themselves  can  do  comparatively 
little  after  its  publication  to  in- 
crease its  sales.  In  cases  where,  for 
such  reasons,  university  presses 
have  been  organized  under  gradu- 
ate   management,    but    university 


2Ji.  University  Presses 

control,  there  has  merely  been  a 
recognition  of  the  fact  that  no 
institution  can  fairly  expect  mem- 
bers of  its  faculty  to  do  their  own 
work  and  at  the  same  time  do  jus- 
tice to  the  possibilities  of  the 
press.  For  the  development  of 
these  possibilities  there  is  de- 
manded the  closest  study  and  con- 
stant planning.  Otherwise  books 
may  be  printed  but  not  distrib- 
uted, and  surely  it  is  productive 
of  little  good  to  publish  works  of 
merit  and  allow  the  world  to  re- 
main in  ignorance  of  their  exist- 
ence: or  to  put  them  forth  in  such 
forbidding  form  as  may  repel, 
rather  than  attract,  the  prospect- 
ive buyer  should  he  chance  upon 
the  volumes. 

If  a  university  press  is  to  feel 
free  to  publish  works  which  mer- 
it its  imprint,  whether  or  not 
such  books  will  return  to  the  or- 
ganization the  money  expended 
upon  them,  it  must  rely  in  part, 
at  least,  on  income  from  endow- 
ment funds  held  by  the  university 


University  Presses  25 

for  its  benefit.  If,  on  the  other 
hand,  the  press  is  to  remain 
always  most  keenly  interested  in 
increasing  to  the  utmost  the  sales 
of  its  publications  it  is  perhaps 
desirable  that  such  income  from 
general  endowment  should  be  less 
than  the  actual  needs  of  the  enter- 
prise. For  in  such  case  the  neces- 
sity before  the  press  to  make  its 
receipts  as  nearly  as  possible 
equal  its  disbursements  will  prove 
a  constant  and  healthy  inspiration 
to  the  development  of  improved 
machinery  for  distribution.  A 
form  of  endowment  then  which 
aids  a  press  and  yet  does  not 
tempt  it  to  abate  its  zeal  for  mak- 
ing sales  of  its  works  has  been 
sought  by  many  interested  in  uni- 
versity presses  and  has  led  to  the 
establishment  of  individual  pub- 
lication funds  as  distinct  from 
general  endowment  for  the  press 
in  at  least  one  of  our  universities. 
From  the  income  of  these  funds 
works  in  history  or  other  speci- 
fied  subjects   are   published   each 


26  University  Presses 

year  by  the  press  under  a  contract 
with  the  university  as  the  trustee 
of  a  given  publication  fund.  By 
the  terms  of  this  agreement  the 
university  as  well  as  the  author  is 
entitled  to  the  payment  of  royal- 
ties from  all  sales  of  works  put 
forth  with  the  imprint  of  any  one 
such  foundation:  and  the  univer- 
sity is  required  to  use  its  royalty 
payments  for  additional  publish- 
ing_,  in  some  cases  adding  at  least 
a  portion  of  such  receipts  to  the 
principal  of  a  publication  fund. 
It  is  evident  that  every  sale  made 
on  such  a  basis^  not  only  benefits 
the  author  and  helps  the  press  to 
meet  current  expenses,  but  also 
definitely  increases  the  resources 
available  for  publication  work  in 
future.  The  plan  is  one  therefore 
which  is  apt  to  appeal  both  to  the 
university  and  its  press,  and,  it 
may  be  added,  to  donors — since 
the  latter  must  naturally  be  inter- 
ested in  seeing  the  usefulness  of 
their  foundations  increased  year 
by  year.     It  seems  probable  that 


University  Presses  ^7 

the  establishment  of  such  founda- 
tions in  our  universities  will  in- 
crease greatly,  because  there  are 
always  many  who  prefer  giving 
individual  funds  to  joining  in  a 
general  endowment  movement. 
Another  potent  reason  is  that  with 
such  individual  publication  funds 
can  be  associated  permanently  the 
name  of  someone  in  whose  honor 
and  memory  the  gift  has  been 
made  to  the  university.  It  would 
be  difficult  to  plan  any  form  of 
memorial  of  greater  service.  Side 
by  side  with  the  establishment  of 
such  funds  should  proceed,  how- 
ever, the  gradual  growth  of  gen- 
eral endowment  for  the  press,  so 
that  if  the  scope  of  the  work  of 
any  or  all  publication  funds  is 
limited  the  press  may  nevertheless 
not  find  its  operations  unduly 
restricted. 

If  in  the  development  of  this 
discussion  more  has  been  said  of 
publishing  than  of  printing,  it 
may  frankly  be  admitted  that  it 
is  because  publishing  seems  to  the 


28  University  Presses 

writer  more  important  than  print- 
ings if  a  choice  must  be  made  be- 
tween the  two.  The  function  of 
a  university  press  cannot  properly 
be  described  as  either  printing  or 
publishing  for  the  benefit  of  its 
own  university,  however,  but  as 
something  more  than  either  of 
these  activities,  or  indeed  of  both 
combined.  The  function  of  a  uni- 
versity press  in  fact  is  nothing 
less  than  to  render  distinct  service 
to  the  world  in  general,  through 
the  medium  of  printing  or  pub- 
ilishing  or  both,  and  in  such  ways 
(to  supplement  the  work  of  educa- 
'tion  which  commands  the  devotion 
,of  the  university  whose  name  the 
Ipress  bears.  Its  mission  may  be 
fairly  described  as  university  ex- 
tension work  of  the  finest  kind. 
It  is  probable  that  as  the  press 
grows  it  will  reflect  credit  upon 
the  university  where  it  is  located, 
and  may  even  add  to  its  renown 
as  a  seat  of  learning.  It  is  prac- 
tically certain  that  through  its 
work    the    press    will    bring    into 


University  Presses  29 

prominence  writers  whose  names 
would  otherwise  have  been  known 
to  but  few.  It  is  inevitable  that 
by  publishing  works  of  instruc- 
tors and  assistant  professors  the 
press  will  aid  materially  in  secur- 
ing for  them,  in  addition  to  this 
larger  recognition,  earlier  promo- 
tion. These  results  are  pleasant 
to  contemplate,  but  they  do  not  in 
themselves  and  alone  justify  the 
establishment  and  maintenance  of 
a  university  press.  Such  an  or- 
ganization may  incidentally  bene- 
fit its  own  university,  but  its 
primary  duty  is  to  the  world  of 
scholarship  and  letters,  and  to  the 
public  at  large,  rather  than  to  any 
single  institution.  It  follows 
naturally,  however,  that  the  higher 
the  service  the  press  renders  to 
the  world  the  greater  will  be  the 
benefits  resulting  from  its  opera- 
tions to  its  own  university. 

It  is  precisely  because  its 
function  is  world-wide  service  in 
the  cause  of  education  that  the 
organization  of  the  work  of  a  uni- 


30  University  Presses 

versity  press  is  of  more  than  local 
interest.  We  must  all  concern 
ourselves  with  the  question  of  how 
our  university  presses  may  obtain 
still  wider  distribution  of  their 
volumes,  not  just  among  the 
graduates  of  any  given  institution, 
but  very  generally  among  our 
people.  For  if  our  university 
presses  merely  print  meritorious 
works  and  find  few  readers  for 
them,  they  are  manifestly  not  ac- 
complishing their  purpose.  Some 
of  our  presses  are  admittedly  more 
successful  than  others  in  this  re- 
spect, but  no  one  of  them  can  as 
yet  point  to  distribution  commen- 
surate with  the  importance  of  the 
works  bearing  its  imprint.  The 
problem  then  is  of  interest  to  them 
all.  More  than  that,  its  solution 
is  of  importance  to  our  nation  as 
a  whole.  It  has  been  said  that  in 
America  we  have  pinned  our  faith 
to  popular  education.  Recent  his- 
tory has  shown  how  willingly  our 
people  turn  to  those  connected 
with  our  universities  for  help  in 


University  Presses  SI 

dealing  with  their  difficulties  and 
perplexities.  Abroad  we  can  see 
how  the  aspirations  of  a  people 
have  been  guided,  if  not  actually 
moulded,  by  the  widespread  dif- 
fusion of  the  views  of  certain 
scholars.  Our  American  univer- 
sity presses  have  no  propaganda 
to  push,  but  in  their  lists  are  to 
be  found  many  works  which  if 
widely  read  and  discussed  would 
give  to  our  democracy  the  broad 
knowledge  necessary  for  under- 
standing and  intelligent  decision. 
It  is  not  only  our  business  as 
publishers  to  exert  ourselves  in- 
dividually to  secure  wider  distri- 
bution for  such  works,  but  also 
our  duty  as  thinking  Americans 
to  co-operate  to  bring  about  such 
a  result. 

Why  should  we  not  then  at 
least  make  a  start  now  by  having 
a  number  of  our  organizations 
form  what  might  perhaps  be  called 
the  university  press  association, 
or  the  united  university  press 
service?      There   is    not    time    for 


University  Presses 


anyone  to  attempt  at  this  meeting 
to  go  into  all  the  details  of  such  an 
alliance.  One  might  briefly,  how- 
ever, point  out  the  saving  in 
expense  to  each  press,  combined 
with  increase  in  efficiency,  which 
would  result,  for  example,  if  one 
representative  from  such  an  asso- 
ciation, well  known  to  the  book 
trade  of  the  country,  could  make 
several  trips  a  year  through  the 
United  States  on  behalf  of  the 
allied  presses;  instead  of  having 
each  one  send  out  its  own  traveler 
with  only  its  own  books  and  visit- 
ing comparatively  few  cities.  An- 
other possibility  open  to  such  an 
association  would  be  the  maintain- 
ing in  such  places  as  New  York, 
Boston,  Chicago  and  Philadelphia, 
as  conditions  might  warrant,  of  a 
university  press  association  book- 
shop, where  the  complete  publica- 
tions of  each  of  the  presses  might 
be  found,  in  a  reading  room  which 
people  would  delight  to  frequent. 
Organized  on  proper  lines  such 
stores  need  not  involve  any  of  the 


organizations  in  heavy  expense. 
They  would  certainly  prove  a  con- 
venience to  the  general  public  of 
each  city  as  well  as  to  the  book 
trade^  and  to  study  how  to  serve 
the  convenience  of  the  public  is 
one  of  the  first  duties  of  every 
university  press.  We  must  not 
wait  inactive  for  the  public  to  seek 
us  out.  Rather  we  must  go  to 
that  public  and  show  it  the  value 
of  what  we  have  to  offer. 

The  idea  is  put  forward  at  this 
time  not  as  one  we  should  now 
discuss,  but  as  one  we  shall  later 
on  probably  wish  to  discuss.  In  it 
there  is  to  be  found  no  hint  of 
consolidation — for  each  press  must 
remain  as  independent  as  its  uni- 
versity. There  may  be  no  imme- 
diate need  for  such  an  association 
but  there  is  certainly  opportunity 
before  it.  Our  American  univer- 
sity presses  admittedly  have  much 
to  learn  from  each  other,  but  hap- 
pily are  none  of  them  too  old  to 
learn.  As  a  representative  of  one 
of  the  youngest  I   thank  you   for 


^4* . '  I  *.IhiiyGrsii;;j5VPj'esses 

the  opportunity  given  me  to  speak 
on  a  subject  very  near  my  own 
heart,  but  in  which  many  of  the 
delegates  here  assembled  might 
well  be  said  to  be  professors, 
while  I  am  but  a  student,  though 
an  eager  one. 


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